Asda £25,000 security van robber awaits fate

A MAN who was part of an armed gang who robbed a security guard at a Pendle supermarket six years ago is awaiting sentence after appearing in court this week.

Stephen Devalda (28) was in the gang which robbed a Royal Mail security van at Asda, Colne, in May, 2005.

The robbery involved the guard being beaten with a machete, having a gun held to his head and being forced to hand over £25,000.

Devalda skipped bail before his trial and was only arrested in March this year on the Costa del Sol. He was travelling on a false passport from Thailand when he was apprehended in a joint operation involving British and Spanish law enforcement agencies.

At Preston Crown Court on Monday, Devalda, from Salford, admitted two charges of conspiracy to rob and was remanded in custody until September 30th for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

The search for gang leader Andrew Moran continues. He escaped from the dock at Burnley Crown Court while being remanded to custody as the jury retired to consider its verdict at his trial in 2009 and was later convicted of conspiracy to rob in his absence.